AQIM Claims Suicide Attacks Against Army & Police In Algeria

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for two suicide attacks against Algerian Police and military personnel in Tizi Uzu and Lakhdariyah in a statement dated August 4, 2008.

According to the statement, on the morning of August 3rd, a militant called Makhlouf Abu Mariam blew up his vehicle which was loaded with 600 kg of explosives near a police and an army buildings in Tizi Uzu, killing at least 25 people.

In another attack carried out on July 23rd, the group said a suicide bomber called Abdel Malek Abu al Baraa rammed his motorcycle loaded with 70 kg of explosives into an army truck near Lakhdariyah base, killing 13 troops.

The group claimed the Algerian government was misleading the media and the public over the real number of casualties caused by the attacks and said it would be releasing videos to support its claim.